Mine roof supports or lining frames composed of one or more hydraulic props disposed between roof bars and floor sills and goaf shields which extend between the roof bars and the floor sills and screen off the stowage zone of an underground longwall mine working are known in a variety of forms. Normally, the supports are mounted side-by-side along the working and alongside a mineral, e.g. coal, face and a conveyor, also extending along the working, serves to transport material detached from the face. Where the mine working contains a thick inclined seam of mineral deposit then an upper region of the seam extends over at least part of the roof. In order to collect the material from the upper region of the seam special measures are necessary: see, for example DE-PS-3107955, DE-OS-3727650 "Gluckauf" 28th September, 1967, P1015-1016 and "Gluckauf" 1985, P1282. Known supports or lining frames enable the working face of the seam to be mined in a conventional manner, e.g. with a shearer, and then permit material detached from the upper inclined roof region, by explosives or simply breaking off, to pass through openings into the main extraction space where it is guided with loading chutes onto the conveyor. The openings can be provided in the goaf shields of the supports which take a position inclined from roof bars to the floor sills of the supports. Each loading chute takes up a position where it inclines towards the working face. Where the seam is disposed at a steep angle, typically 15.degree.-20.degree., than the discharge and loading performance is problematic. It is also known to have the chutes equipped with side plates or aprons. This causes more difficulties especially when the chutes are used to close off the openings by swinging the chutes upwardly against the shields. The chutes are comparatively long and have their pivot bearings at the stowage side of the shields. This tends to impede the extraction space.
A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of support usable in a variety of conditions and particularly where a seam deposit is inclined.